History Lesson from WWII Veteran

Year 6 pupils and staff at the Junior Girls’ School were delighted to welcome Mr George Drinkwater to join them for an extra-special history lesson. George is 92 years old and served for 40 years in the RAF. He is also the father of the girls’ Teaching Assistant Mrs Drinkwater. He was invited to the School to talk to girls about his experience of the Second World War.

George lied about his age to join Bomber Command at the age of 17. He completed 32 flights over Germany and was one of the lucky few to return every time: he explained to the Year 6 girls that there were 87,000 casualties aged 18-21 in the conflict, and 85,000 young men were missing or killed by the end of the Second World War.

He talked to the girls about Hitler, the Nazi regime, and why the UK and the British people thought it was important to stand up and fight. He also talked about his work with the RAF, and showed some of his medals. However, one of the most important and moving messages that George delivered was to say, “There are no winners in war.”

The girls were fascinated by George’s first-hand account of the Second World War and listened attentively throughout. This was a great way for the girls to learn more about history from someone who was there at the time, and they really appreciated the experience.